Taiwan
Taiwan (name) means a self-governing island territory in East Asia, officially the Republic of China, with its capital at Taipei. Example: “Taiwan is a major producer of semiconductors.”
How to use Taiwan
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe island and territory in East Asia known as the Republic of China.
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
_____ is a major producer of semiconductors.
Etymology
Derived through Wade-Giles romanization of Mandarin 臺灣 (Táiwān), tracing back to a Hokkien placename for a sandbank near modern Tainan.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “Taiwan” mean?
The word “Taiwan” means a self-governing island territory in East Asia, officially the Republic of China, with its capital at Taipei. In plain terms, the island and territory in East Asia known as the Republic of China.
How do you pronounce “Taiwan”?
“Taiwan” is pronounced teye-WAHN (/ˌtaɪ̯ˈwɑn/ in IPA).
How do you use “Taiwan” in a sentence?
Here is “Taiwan” used in a sentence: “Taiwan is a major producer of semiconductors.”
What part of speech is “Taiwan”?
“Taiwan” is a name.
Is “Taiwan” a common word?
“Taiwan” is a fairly common word in modern English.
What is the difference between Taiwan and the Republic of China?
They name the same self-governing island territory in East Asia. Republic of China is its official name, while Taiwan — the name of the main island — is what the territory is commonly called in everyday speech and news reporting. Its capital is Taipei.
Is Taiwan the same as Thailand?
No. Taiwan is a self-governing island territory in East Asia with its capital at Taipei, while Thailand is a separate country on the Southeast Asian mainland with its capital at Bangkok. The similar-sounding names cause frequent mix-ups, but the two places are unrelated.
Do you say "Taiwan" or "the Taiwan"?
Taiwan takes no article: people live in Taiwan and travel to Taiwan, never "the Taiwan." English generally reserves "the" for place names that are plural or descriptive, such as the Netherlands or the Philippines, and Taiwan does not fit that pattern.
What was Taiwan called before?
Western maps long labeled the island Formosa, and that name still appears in historical writing and older books. Today the island and its territory are known as Taiwan, officially the Republic of China.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include Taiwan: